DAC Events

Upcoming events

Fire Risk Assessment Workshop

Thursday 4th November 2021, 7:30pm-9pm, online via Zoom

A workshop covering practical help for your church on why a Fire Risk Assessment is needed and how to go about it. For more details and to sign-up, please see the Eventbrite page.

Understanding Your Church Building

*NEW DATE TBC*

This workshop will help you to consider what is special about your church building. Every church has a story to tell about its history, architecture and heritage as well as being a living place of worship and a focus in its community.

This event will now take place in January. Please keep an eye on this page for details.

Past events – programmes and presentations

Online workshop for Quinquennial Inspectors, Friday 9th July 2021

This Zoom workshop covered delivering net zero carbon, best practice Quinquennial Inspections, funding challenges, repairs and maintenance, revised guidance and DAC updates.

Inspectors working in the Diocese and and DAC members spoke and those taking part debated hot topics. Here are the workshop programme and recording of the workshop.

Faculty Rules and other training

Workshops for parishes within St Albans Diocese took place on:

14/01/2020 in Hertford Archdeaconry at St Mary, Ware 7:30-9pm
23/01/2020 in St Albans Archdeaconry at Holy Trinity, Frogmore 7:30-9pm
27/01/2020 in Bedford Archdeaconry at St Swithun, Sandy 7:30-9pm
01/02/2020 for Bedford/All Archdeaconries at St Nicholas Church Hall, Barton-le-Clay 10-11:30am

The training was held in advance of changes to the legal framework covering work to church buildings and the appointment of Professional Advisors. Amendments to the Minor Matters Lists A and B were to be amended from 1st April 2020 along with the process for applying for faculties for major works to church buildings. Therefore, the DAC Team were offering a training and information event in each Archdeaconry.

The training also covered matters relevant to everyone who is concerned with the care and development of church and churchyards, including:

Changes to the faculty process and Minor Matters list – click here for the presentation
Development of the faculty process using the Diocesan online Portal – click here for the Applicant User Guide
Commissioning Professional Advisors – click here for the presentation
Revision of the Churchyard Regulations – click here for the presentation

From Vision to Reality: Developing your project and making it happen

Whether it’s repairs, new facilities or spaces, or other changes to your church building, this day workshop will take you from having the right goal and project to finding the resources to deliver it.

Saturday 11 January, 2020 – St Lawrence Church, High Street, Abbots Langley WD5 0AS.

Programme and speakers

Welcome slide

Developing a Vision – Becky Payne’s presentation

Developing the right project – Wendy Coombey’s presentation

St Nicholas, Stevenage – Anthony Taylor’s presentation

St Mary, Luton – Revd Mike Jones’ presentation

Fundraising – Helen Simpkiss’ presentation

St Michael, Shefford – Pat Goulding and Revd Roni Goodman’s presentation

St Leonard, Flamstead – Revd Thomas Sander’s presentation

Help available from the Diocese – Emma Critchley’s notes and David Bevan’s presentation

Thanks to everyone who came, contributed and made it such a successful and enjoyable day. And extra thanks to Carol, Andy and Lucy who made us so welcome at St Lawrence.

Church 101 – Everything you need to know

Wednesday 27 November 2019

This event covered all key areas – documenting weddings and funerals; record-keeping; archives; burials and churchyard memorials

This was a practical session covering the legal requirements and good practice, equipping you to do what is needed for good administration.

Speakers included:

Chris Bennett, Hertfordshire County Archivist and Diocesan Archivist
Neil Turpin, Chief Clerk to the Office of the Court of Faculties

Training for churchwardens 2018

Sessions for new (and some continuing) churchwardens took place in June, July and September for the St Albans, Bedford and Hertford Archdeaconries.

Presentations given by the DAC Pastoral and Advisory Secretary and Historic Church Buildings Support Officer – some of which overlap – are here:

Caring for and changing your church building – the DAC

Caring for your church and working with your architect

Helping your church and making a big noise

QI reports, follow-up and help

Lynne Ingham, Church Insurance Consultant at Ecclesiastical Insurance, provided an introduction to Insurance and Risk Management, which covered the following areas: Background to Ecclesiastical; Valuations; Insurance cover; Advice & Guidance; and Claims. Further information on these topics can be found on the Ecclesiastical website, Church Matters, by following this link .

Architect Mike Dales’ presentation to Bedford Archdeaconry churchwardens is not included because the picture slides were a prompt to his talk and are not helpful on their own.

Church Maintenance Workshop for St Albans Parishes

Regular maintenance and how parishes and volunteers should go about it

14 April 2018 – St Andrews Church, Kimbolton Road, Bedford MK40 2PF and Saturday 24 November, 2018 – St Stephen’s Church, Watling Street, St Albans, AL1 2PT

Programme and presentations by James Innerdale (Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings) – Introduction, Maintenance, Managing Maintenance and Baseline Survey and Maintenance Plans

For information on SPAB’s Faith in Maintenance and Maintenance Co-operatives Project click here